A Rose By Any Other Name
by MildredHelper
Summary: Rose wants to know about her mother, and her Aunt Rhoda has to muster up the courage to tell the little girl about the ultimate sacrifice Mary made for her.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I've taken a few liberties: this is set six years after the fifth season so anything that happened in the last two seasons has kind of been disregarded. **

_Prologue: January, 1981_

"Aunt Rhoda?"

"Yeah, kid?" Rhoda looked over at her six year old niece. To be fair, she wasn't really her niece. Rhoda was the girl's legal guardian and had been for her entire life.

"Tell me about my momma."

The rough edged New Yorker froze. There were some things she just couldn't talk about, although she knew the poor girl had a right to know about her mother; she didn't want to be the one to tell her. Still, one look at Rose's face, so very much like Mary's made her sit down.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Rose insisted. "Why isn't she here?" There was a bit of pout in her tone, and Rhoda knew the girl well enough to note that this meant tears were coming if she wasn't satisfied soon.

The older woman sighed heavily. "I told you, baby. Your momma died after you were born."

"I know, but tell me about her," Rose demanded as she rubbed at her eyes.

"Your momma was the best woman I've ever known. She was kind and funny, and...she was my hero." Tears were starting to well up in her eyes, and she knew that she wasn't ready to have this talk, some day when Rose was older maybe but not now. No first grader should have to carry around such a weight if she wasn't even likely to understand.

"Did she love me, Aunt Rho?"

"Oh kid," Rhoda breathed. "She loved you more than anyone and anything. Now, I think it's time for bed."

She mentally pleaded with the little girl to let them drop the subject, and eventually Rose relented.

"Okay, tuck me in."

Rhoda nodded and followed the little dear to her bedroom and pulled the covers up around her.

"I love you, doll face."

"I love you too," Rose yawned before turning over which gave Rhoda her cue to leave.

Clearly, she thought about Mary all the time, but she wasn't looking forward to the day when Rose wouldn't relent until she had told her everything. Her mind started to head back seven years prior, and she realized that it wasn't good for her to be alone so she called up Georgette.

"I'll be right over," her friend said in her soft voice before they both hang up the phone.

Rhoda waited anxiously, knowing that they were going to be spilling their guts and recalling the death of their friend. Naturally, she knew that cheesecake was going to be a necessity to get them through this, so she reached into the fridge and pulled one out.

Georgette arrived about fifteen minutes later, and Rhoda helped her friend with her coat. They both embraced for probably longer than was needed, and then they sat down, and Rhoda handed her friend a slice of cheesecake.

They both ate their cake in silence for awhile, and when they were done, the brunette cleared her throat, and indicated her friend's rounded abdomen.

"Are you nervous?"

"After what happened to her? Of course I'm nervous, but I just keep telling myself that everything will go according to plan."

"But..."

"Please Rhoda, I'd rather we didn't talk about me."

"Right, I'm sorry, kid. When Rose asked me about her- I froze. Help me remember so I'm not afraid," her friend's pleading tone was not something that Georgette was accustomed to, and she nodded.

"Of course, let's start where it all began..."

**Please leave a review xx**


	2. Enter the Love Interest

_December 1974_

"Oh Rhoda, he's perfect. He's absolutely, positively perfect," Mary gushed about her latest beau, Tom Darling.

"You kids hit second base yet?" Rhoda asked with a hint of disdain as she reached up and took her curlers out. She was always a little skeptical of Mary's boyfriends, mainly because she cared about her so much and to see her best friend hurting was one thing she couldn't bear.

"Oh Rhoda," Mary laughed. "You don't have to be so bitter."

"Are you kidding me? My best friend has been on two dates with a guy and now you're practically walking down the aisle. Pardon me if I'm a little bit skeptical."

"I'm sorry, Rho. I know that this is really sudden, but I do think that he's the one," Mary couldn't keep the twinkle out of her eyes.

It's not that Rhoda didn't trust her friend's judgement, but Mary had been serious before, and then there was always some major flaw with the guy.

"Well, if you're happy, then I'm happy. When do I get to meet this Prince Charming?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh uh soon," Mary insisted. "Now I have to run or I'll be late," she threw a bag over her shoulder and left in a hurry.

What kind of a guy didn't pick a girl like Mary up at her apartment? Rhoda decided that she was just being silly because she would never admit that she was really incredibly jealous.

Later that night, after Rhoda came back from her bummer of a date, having kicked her heels off, terribly dejected, she received a phone call from Mary asking her if she wanted to meet Tom. Of course she did and invited them over for coffee at her place. She secretly hoped that the guy was as much of a jerk as she thought he was because she really wanted to lay into someone after the crummy evening she had.

A knock on the door prompted her to say, "come on in, kids!"

"Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Thomas Darling," a tall muscular looking man said as he extended his hand out for Rhoda's.

"Well, I see what Mare sees in you," she said, eyes wide, clearly not about to go out of her way to make this man feel welcome.

"Oh, Rhoda's just a big kidder," Mary shot her friend a look.

"No, she has a point. I don't know what you could possibly see because you're far too good for me."

Rhoda liked this confession and decided to give this man a chance.

"Would you care for some cheesecake?" She asked, her voice much warmer than before.

Tom looked over at Mary for a moment, no doubt taking in her encouraging, slightly pleading expression. She knew that a sure way Rhoda would warm up to a person was if she saw that they had a hearty appetite.

"Yeah, we'll stay for dessert, why not?"

Rhoda laughed when her friend let out a sigh of relief. "Mare, you're way too high strung. Help me with the cake?" She asked, motioning to the corner of her small apartment. They turned their back to Mary's date and began to whisper.

"He seems like a real keeper. Now try to relax, alright? I'm not gonna pester him with questions just because my date ended badly," she whispered, and her friend reached out to squeeze her hand.

"Oh, Rhoda," she breathed and smiled before going over and sitting down on the couch next to Tom.

The feisty New Yorker took her time getting the sweets and coffee ready so she could watch the couple interact. Tom seemed to be in awe of Mary and never interrupted, only nodded his head or smiled when it seemed appropriate. His smile seemed to reach his eyes, and he never tried to grab Mary's hand or put an arm around her which Rhoda found refreshing.

"Are you about ready, Rho?" Mary asked, and her friend snapped out of it.

"Yeah, yeah of course, this stupid coffee maker is slower than my mother at an antique store," Rhoda offered by way of apology.

"One of these days you'll have to meet Ida," Mary laughed and glanced at Tom as she took her plate and mug from Rhoda.

"Your mother I assume?" He directed his question at Rhoda.

"Yeah, Ma is...Ma is wonderful until you get to know her."

"Oh come on, you love her," Mary insisted.

"That's true, but then she always has loved you after you helped out at my sister's wedding."

Rhoda thought she saw a certain change come over Tom, but then she decided that she must just be seeing things.

The women laughed and regaled for a bit before Thomas thanked Rhoda, but insisted that they had to get going.

Rhoda frowned at this but saw that Mary seemed eager to leave as well so she just wished them well with the rest of their evening and closed the door behind them.

He didn't seem too bad, she thought. Of course Rhoda didn't think he was just perfect for Mary, but then again any guy who was good enough for Mary probably didn't exist.

The next morning before she went in to WJM, Mary called Rhoda up and told her to have breakfast at her place. Rhoda would never turn down a free meal, and she knew that breakfast was just a cover.

"So did you like him?" Mary asked as soon as her friend sat down to her eggs and bacon.

"Yes, kid," Rhoda laughed. "You seem to make a good couple."

"But do you really really like him?"

"Since when has my opinion mattered so much?"

"Since you're the best friend I have, and I love you."

This tugged at Rhoda's heartstrings. She loved Mary too.

"Yes, I like him, but I would have to see more of him before I just fell in love like you," she teased.

"Oh, you will. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

**This was a fairly short chapter just sort of setting the scene. I hope you like it so far. Reviews are my encouragement xx**


	3. The Weekend

_January 1975_

"Little Mary Richards is going away for the weekend with a man after he's only been courting her four weeks?" Rhoda asked in mock surprise.

"Oh Rhoda, don't patronize me," she whispered back, her cheeks reddening, clearly embarrassed.

"No, I think it's sweet. You want him to be your first."

"I am not that innocent!"

"When was the last time? Tommy Wilkins kissing you on the teeter totter in elementary?"

Mary silently seethed. Why did everyone constantly have to make fun of her lack of experience in the area of men? She had had numerous boyfriends, but they just didn't stick, and the older she became, the more she would rather date only a select few, and she didn't see anything wrong with that.

"Oh Mare, you know I'm just giving you a hard time. I hope you have fun and kid?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful, alright?"

"Of course. Don't worry about me," she laughed and gave her friend a hug. "Oh, I have to leave in half an hour!" She exclaimed and ran into her closet and frantically started throwing items into a suitcase.

Rhoda sighed and flopped back onto the sofa. She couldn't help but worry about her friend. Mary was the first real and true friend she had ever had, and there was just something about that Tom guy that she didn't like. Maybe it was the way he always had to be in charge of their arrival and departure or maybe it was because he would talk about long term plans like they were certain and not up for discussion. Perhaps she was again just being jealous, but she couldn't see how Mary was just so crazy about him.

Promptly thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Mary practically sprinted to answer it.

"Are you ready?" Tom asked, giving her a once over.  
Rhoda thought that she detected a hint of disapproval in his eyes, and she was completely dumbfounded as to why.

"Just a minute, Tom. I'm just going to tell Rhoda goodbye," she said and shot her friend a grin.

"I'll be in the car," he said somewhat harshly.

"What was that all about?" Rhoda asked once the man had left the room.

"Huh? Oh. It's no big deal. I just know that he's on a time crunch. We only have the weekend after all," she said, a far-off look in her eyes.

The woman who normally had an answer or at least a sarcastic remark for everything was completely dumbfounded. She didn't understand why Mary was with someone who had such a big ego.  
"Mare, are you sure you still want to go? Did you see how he just treated you?"

"Oh honestly, he was just a little over-eager. Now I really have to go," she said and tossed her bag over her shoulder, not even giving her friend a second look before leaving, shutting the door sharply behind her.

Rhoda sat there almost in tears. Mary had never tossed her feelings aside like that before. She always valued her opinion and asked for it. She just couldn't figure out what it was about Tom that made Mary forget who she was. The brunette was hurt and upset and decided that she would confront Mary about it when she returned whether she wanted to or not. Friends were supposed to do those kinds of things weren't they?

Rhoda knocked on the door not even two minutes after she heard Mary get back on Sunday night.  
"Go away," Mary called, chin quivering, making her words sound pathetic.  
The tone of her friend's voice was all it took for Rhoda to try to pound the door down.

"Mare?!" She asked. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

"It's nothing," she said back, though it was clearly something.

"Just let me in."  
There were a few minutes of silence before the door opened to reveal a disheveled looking Mary with a black eye to boot.  
"Oh, kid…" It was an almost breathless whisper. At first it was disbelief, but that quickly turned to anger.  
"I'll kill him."

"No, Rhoda, I was stupid. I was doing the laundry, and I hit my head on the dryer," Mary fibbed at record speed.

"Do you think I was born yesterday? I grew up in the Bronx, and I know that your 'boyfriend' got mad at you for some reason. Mare, tell me you ended it," she pleaded.

"I hit my head on the dryer," Mary repeated her story.

"How could you do this to yourself, kid? And all along I thought you were the sensible one!" Rhoda started to pace, but Mary remained aloof, her expression verging on docile for a moment before it was replaced with annoyance.  
Rhoda paced around a bit more before she stopped and just stared at her friend. "I'm not going to be your friend anymore if you continue to see him. He's clearly hurt you, and either he told you to lie or you decided to do that yourself, but I love you too much to see you this way. You know where to find me when you come to terms with the fact that you're in an abusive relationship and end it."

Mary was stunned as her friend left the room. Everything she had said was true, but she was in too much of a fog to realize it.

The next few weeks were some of the worst Mary had ever experienced since she moved to Minneapolis. Though they lived in the same building, she had not seen Rhoda once. She had tried to limit her contact with Tom, but he always seemed to show up no matter what she said to him, and she was too afraid to tell him to leave.

Mr. Grant noticed a change in Mary and called her into his office one afternoon.  
"Mary?"

"Yes, Mr. Grant?"

"Now, this Tom guy…how's he treatin' you?"

"Fine, Mr. Grant, but I do wish that we wouldn't bring our personal lives into the workplace."

Lou raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? I thought we were friends. What's going on, Mary? If you won't talk to me then…at least talk to Murray. We're all-I mean, we worry about ya," he took a long sip of his scotch.

"Oh Mr. Grant, you have nothing to worry about."

"Why isn't your friend Rhoda in here all the time anymore? I haven't had to kick her out in a month or two."

"I don't know, Mr. Grant. She's just been busy with her job I guess." She couldn't meet her boss's eyes, knowing that he would see right through her.

"Well, Charlene and I were thinking about going to the bar later tonight. Why don't you and Tom join us?" He questioned.

"Oh uh well, Mr. Grant," Mary cleared her throat several times. "I've gone on an alcohol fast. I read in Reader's Digest that it really packs on the pounds and I just decided to up and quit it cold turkey."

Lou Grant wasn't dumb by any means, but he didn't exactly know what to say. "Mary, you know I've gone through it three times. If-if you ever need anything, I'll be here."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Grant," she replied indignantly before walking from the room, the door slamming shut behind her.

Rhoda was who she really needed to talk to, but she was too blind to think about anyone but Tom. This would change things, and he'd be happy. He'd just had a bad few months was all, and it had been partially her fault she convinced herself.

That night, she had it all planned out. They'd start off in the restaurant that Tom was taking her to, and then he'd make a point of ordering wine which she wouldn't drink. If he couldn't figure out what she meant then she'd tell him, but she didn't think that she'd have to. Unfortunately, it didn't go according to plan because she had felt sick for an hour or two and tried to call him several times to cancel, but he didn't pick up and knocked loudly on her door when he arrived promptly at six.  
Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, her sweatpants were stained, and her sleeveless shirt was too loose.

"What the hell are you doing? Our reservation's for six thirty!" Tom yelled at her.

"I tried to call you. I've been sick all afternoon," she told him, but he wouldn't have it.

"You get dressed right now," he demanded.

"Tom, I can't…" she trailed off before he slapped her.

She sat down on the floor, the wind knocked out of her. "I think you better leave."

"We have a dinner reservation, and you're not going to disappoint me again," he said coldly before leaving the apartment.  
She practically sprinted to the door and locked it behind him before calling her friend.

"Rhoda?! You were right-I was wrong. Please, please do something. He's outside my door, and he's not going to leave until-until I get ready for our date, but I…"

"Kid, don't worry. I'll get him out, and you can explain everything later."  
Rhoda hung up the phone, and a minute later, Mary heard the fire alarm go off.

Just as Rhoda had suspected, Tom bolted from the place with no thought to anyone's safety but his own. Rhoda locked the door after him, deciding that she would have a talk with Phyllis about hiring a security man or at least getting Mary a restraining order. She was just so glad that her friend had finally come to her senses.  
A few minutes later, she was outside her friend's door. "Kid? It's me. Will you let me in?"  
She heard shuffling around in the apartment before Mary tentatively came to the door.  
"Oh Mare. What did he do to you?" She breathed.  
Mary was trembling and sniffling too hard to be understood.  
"Come on, let's get you a good strong drink," Rhoda insisted, but Mary shook her head vigorously.

"I-I can't." Her eyes were focused on the floor, and the New Yorker didn't need to be drawn a picture. Her arms wrapped around her friend, and she held her close.

"It's okay, Mare. I'm not going anywhere."

**Reviews are encouraged as always. Thank you for bearing with me :)**


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